After China and the Philippines reached a temporary arrangement, the Philippines successfully carried out the transportation and replenishment of the "beached" ship at Ren'ai Jiao for the first time.
On July 27, the China Coast Guard released a new message, saying that in accordance with the provisional arrangement reached between China and the Philippines, the Philippines sent a civilian vessel to deliver daily necessities to the "illegal" beached warship at Ren'ai Jiao.
Of course, the entire journey was under the supervision of the China Coast Guard, and it was only allowed to pass after the Chinese side boarded and confirmed. It can be seen that under the strict control of the Chinese Coast Guard, the Philippines did not dare to bring any illegal building materials this time, otherwise it would not have been allowed to be released at all.
The Chinese Coast Guard patrols near Second Thomas Shoal
Judging from the timeline, it has been almost a month and a half since the last Sino-Philippine Ren'ai Jiao friction. The servicemen on the Philippine "beached" ship have long been out of food and have been starving for weeks, can the Marcos Jr. authorities not be in a hurry?
As a matter of fact, as for the delivery of supplies, the Chinese side had previously allowed it out of humanitarian considerations, and as long as the normal daily necessities were transported and the Chinese side was notified in advance, they would generally be allowed to go.
But the problem is that after Marcos Jr. came to power, he not only refused to admit that there was such a "gentleman's agreement" between China and the Philippines, but also secretly carried some illegal building materials in an attempt to strengthen the beached ship and achieve the goal of permanently occupying China's Ren'ai Jiao.
China and the Philippines confronted each other at Ren'ai Jiao
In the face of the Philippine side's indentious approach, the Chinese side took decisive measures, and less than three days after the new coast guard regulations came into effect, the Philippines learned the power of the Chinese coast guard, and the Marcos Jr. authorities also changed their attitude, and they have been sending people to contact and consult with the Chinese side for a while.
Eventually, a temporary arrangement was reached for the transportation and replenishment of Ren'ai Jiao. This is the first time that China and the Philippines have officially confirmed the transportation and subsidy arrangement, and there are three principles in it, which are particularly noteworthy:
First, China reaffirmed its sovereignty over Ren'ai Jiao and urged the Philippines to tow away the illegal "beached" vessel as soon as possible and adhere to the position that Ren'ai Jiao is unmanned and unequivocated. Second, the Chinese side pointed out that allowing the Philippines to send supplies to Second Thomas Shoal is a special humanitarian arrangement.
Finally, China also issued a warning to the Philippines that it will take resolute measures if it ignores China's goodwill and attempts to carry illegal construction materials to reinforce the "beached" ship.
Philippine Coast Guard
In this regard, when Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Philippine Foreign Minister Manaro on the 26th, he also emphasized that he warned the Philippines not to go back on its word, otherwise China will take resolute measures.
In fact, this is to tell the Philippines that China's patience is also limited, and this is the last chance for the Philippines, and if it insists on going its own way, China will not show any mercy.
The weight of this sentence, Marcos Jr. should weigh it carefully. Of course, the new arrangement reached this time is only a temporary arrangement, and there are naturally other plans for how to solve the Ren'ai Jiao issue.
A Philippine warship illegally "beached" at Ren'ai Jiao on the mainland
However, one thing is certain, the Philippines' attempt to permanently occupy China's islands and reefs with such a warship is doomed to fail, and it can only wait for the broken ship to disintegrate on its own if it cannot be reinforced.
If the Philippines dares to take a risk, then what awaits them will inevitably be China's resolute measures, and at that time, we will have the opportunity to settle Ren'ai Jiao once and for all.